Improvement in machines for breaking and cleaning hemp, flax



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

GELSTON SANFORD AND JAMES E. MALLORY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR BREAKING AND CLEANING HEMP, FLAX, circ.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 40,063, dated September 22, 1863.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, GELsToN SANFORD, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, now temporarily residing in the city of' New York, and JiiMEs E. MALLORY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machinery for Breaking and Cleaning Flax, Hemp, and other Fiber-Yielding Plants Requiring a like Mode of Treatment; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying` drawings, making part of' this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan of the machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal Vertical section.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Our invention consists in combining with one or more pairs of rotating iiuted rollers a pair of tooth-rollers having, in addition to a rotary motion, a longitudinal reciprocating motion to give a cross-rubbing action to the fibers as they are caused to travel through the machine, as described.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents a suitable frame, and b a feeding-table ou whichV the iiax or other plant is placed, from which it is presented to the rollers. In the upper part of the frame and back of the feeding-table are mounted three pairs of rollers, c c', d d, and e e', the journals of the three lower rollers, c d e, being mounted in stationary boxes, and the `journals of the three upper rollers, c d e, in vertically'sliding boxes borne down by springs tocause the said upper rollers to make pressure on the liax or other plant passing between them and the' bottom rollers. The three pairs of rollers are iluted longitudinally, the flutes of the second pair being much finer than the first pair to break into smaller fragments the woody particles formed by the first pair. The third pair of rollers, in` addition to the longitudinal vrlutes, are also cross-fluted, the cross-flutes being of less depth than the longitudinal flutes, thus forming zones of teeth. The upper roller, e', of this pair is shorter than the under one,

c, and its journals are of sufficient length to slide longitudinally. One of the journals of this roller extends sufficiently far outside the frame to be connected by a ball-andsocket joint, f, or other equivalent universal joint, with one end of'a connecting-rod, g, the other end of which is connected with a crank, h, on the end of' a shaft, z', which receives motion by bevel cog-wheels j 7c from the driving-shaft Z. By these connections the tooth-roller c receives a longitudinal reciprocating motion as it is rotated on its axis, thus giving to the flax or other plant a cross-rubbing action, which tends not only to separate the woody fragments from the fibers, but at the same time to separate the fibers from one another. The driving-shaft Z, by other bevel-wheels, m n, communicates a rotary motion to a horizontal screwor worm-shaft, o, the thread of which engages the cogs of' wheels p q r on the rollers c d e, while these in turn, by the interlocking of the iiutes, impart motion to theupper rollers, c d c. l

By the combination above described the flax or other fiber-yielding plant is carried through between the flutes of' the rollers, by which the woody part of the plant is broken, first into long pieces and then into shorter pieces, and finally by the cross-rubbing action of the third pair of rollers these woody particles are loosened from the fibers and the fibers separated from one another.

The number of' pairs of fluted rollers may be increased or reduced without departing from our said invention.

Vhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The pair of toothed rollers, one of which has a longitudinal reciprocating motion, as well as a rotary motion, in combination with iiuted rollers having a continuous rota-ry motion, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

GELSTON SANFORD. JAS. E. MALLORY.

Witnesses:

WM. H. Bisnor, A. DE LACY. 

